Thursday, May 1, 2008

PIC-NIC PING-PONG '08

The word is out, folks...

The ever popular red and white PIC-NIC PLAID (Also known as Pizzeria Plaid, as displayed above, Valdiano Restaurant, Manhattan Ave, Greepoint) has been approved as the OFFICIAL 2008 Summer Weight Strain of our beloved Buffalo Check. After a considerable amount of back and forth banter, we had to resort to a cut throat ping-pong tournament to finally determine a verdict.

As the Captain of the winning team, (We play doubles so more people get to play) We are proud to award the folks at CPNA (Coalition for Pic-Nic Accessories) with the title of OSWS'08 (Official Summer Weight Srain,'08) Such a fun and festive flat pattern is more than deserving of our accolades.... at least until after labor day.

Why PVP?

Hello and Welcome to the Plaid Voyeurism Project (PVP.) The Plaid we're after is called Buffalo Plaid, though it is technically a check.

Here at PVP we are fascinated by the versatility of one pattern to span three centuries with its vast spectrum of users and uses. Buffalo Plaid is worn by young and old, city mice and country mice, in art museums and atop telephone poles, camoflauging the masses in a uniform of familiar anonymity.

BACK STORY

Buffalo Plaid is a weave of two colors (usually wool) in equal parts, holding no preference to positive or negitive space. Classically seen in red and black, current popularity has spawned all sorts of color combonations.

The American Heritage Dictionary states the origin of the title: Buffalo Plaid, as being the name given to the pattern by it's designer in the 1850's in honor of his herd of buffalo.

Buffalo Plaid has a wide variety of household names such as Vermont Plaid, Lumberjack Plaid, Backwoods Tuxedo, Redneck Check, and Hipster Burberry, to name a few, though it is most commonly regarded as "Hunter" Plaid.

Before the advent of modern fabrics and printing techniques, sport hunters in Northern forests used to wear Buffalo Plaid to obscure the outline of their silhouettes from their trophy's gaze. Buffalo Plaid is truly an American invention, not to be confused as a derivative a tartan from Scotland's Hunter Clan.

Though the pattern has become obsolete as camouflage in the woods, Buffalo Plaid has achieved an undeniable nostalgic status, evoking notions of rustic charm and romanticism of hunting accouterment of yore.

How We Do It.

You may have noticed an inconsistency in the quality of our collected images. Most of the pictures in our archive have been taken with sub-par camera phones in somewhat compromised light conditions, all the while maintaining the subtle finesse of a gazelle. However, when faced with a narrow capture window, subtlety is not always an option. Pride and ego are pushed aside for the glory of a focused capture.

PVP spies have been known to swoop in for the shot with all precision of a winning tetherball serve, then CLICK, turn, retreat, and recover to casual walking speed; ready to pounce again at a moments notice. This maneuver is known for obvious reasons as, "the Tether." Other popular methods of capture include: The "Faux-n Call," the "Shameless Paparazzi," and the "Canoe." (Use you imaginations.) New moves are being developed and field tested on a semi-regular basis.

Who Are We?

The profile of a "typical" PVP volunteer team member may include one or more of the following characteristics:

-Not much experience and/or skill with arcade games as a kid, though probably a champ in capture the flag.